Duo
by alias-annabel
Summary: What if Kenny had managed to get himself and Ben out of the zombie infested alley, but couldn't get back to Lee afterwards? This is one of my takes on how their adventure would go if they had lived. Some drama, some humour, lots of swearing! [Unplanned plot & in progress.]
1. Chapter 1

I know the dialogue at the beginning isn't what it was in the game, I was just too lazy to look it up. Heheh...

**Part One**

The growling from the walkers drowned out nearly every other sound except for Ben's pained moans. Kenny and Lee stood back to back in defence as the two groups of walking corpses drew slowly but steadily nearer, enclosing the three men in the alley way. There was no way they could defend themselves properly without bullets or blunt force weapons.

"Please, don't let them get to me!" Ben begged from where he lay on the ground, a broken metal bar sticking out where it had been stabbed clean through his abdominal region. Blood soaked nearly every inch of the teenager's torso.

Kenny could barely look at the gory scene for long. "Lee, have you got any ammo?"

Lee searched himself, then shook his head quickly. "Nothing."

"Shit..."

Kenny's breaths were fast as he looked from Ben to Lee to the walkers and back, his heart hammering in his chest. Finally he turned to Lee with determination set in his eyes. There was no way he could just leave Ben here to be eaten alive. It was more cruel than murder. He had to defend the kid for as long as he could, and get Lee out of here so he could go back to Clementine.

"Get outta here, Lee, I got this!" Kenny shouted over the chilling groans of the walkers, swiping at one of them with his gun as it got too close for comfort.

Lee looked incredulously back at Kenny before shaking his head with quick, snappy movements. "No fucking way am I leaving you here alone, Ken!"

"You've got to, Lee! I have one bullet left. I'll try and draw them away while you get the fuck out of here!" Kenny glared as fiercely as he could at his best friend. Lee was the last person that he wanted to see die. The man had done so much, for everyone.

"No, Kenny! I'm not leaving you!" Lee stood his ground, continuing to stand between Kenny and the walkers that were now dangerously close, rotten teeth snapping hungrily.

Kenny felt a surge of fresh adrenaline rush through him, and he lunged at Lee, shoving him through the gate on his right and slamming the gate's door shut, locking it. Lee stared out at Kenny with hurt and shock in his conflicted dark eyes.

"Kenny... What the fuck, man!"

"You have to get back to Clementine, Lee. Please." Kenny leaned towards Lee through the black, rusty bars, trying to convey his need for Lee to get back to that little girl, the little girl who Lee loved, the little girl who needed saving. "Just go back to Omid and Christa!"

And with that, Kenny turned and charged at the walkers with a battle cry.

"KENNY!" Lee screamed, yanking at the locked gate with all his might as his friend disappeared from view.

Kenny fought tooth and nail, beating each walker's head in with the other end of his gun, and each one fell to the ground, one on top of the other. Kenny was seeing red, letting all the pent of rage inside of him rush through his veins until he was nothing more than a killing machine.

"Kenny!" Ben cried, terror in his voice. Kenny spun around, seeing a walker crawling towards Ben, only a couple feet away with its filthy, fleshy mouth hanging open, ready to take a large bite out of the helpless teenager.

"Kenny, ple-!" Ben's plead was cut off by the sound of Kenny shooting his only bullet at the walker's face, sending sticky blood spattering all over Ben's own face. The walker fell with a muted thud on top of Ben, who let out a loud whimper as it did.

"Shit," Kenny growled again. He looked around, noticing that he'd taken out quite a few walkers in his blind fit of anger, and there was some time for Kenny to crouch down next to Ben, toss his gun aside and haul the once-female walker off of him.

Ben was shaking, his face extremely pale from terror and loss of blood. His misty grey eyes were unfocused, looking unseeingly at the sky.

"Fuck, might be going into shock," Kenny muttered to himself. He was no doctor, but he knew the toll taken on Ben's body was likely enough to throw the teenager into death's grasp. He gently patted Ben's cheek, and the teenager's eyes shifted to Kenny's. Relief washed through the middle aged man at the clarity that pooled back into Ben's irises.

"I need to take you off of this bar, alright? I gotta do this, so we can get out of here."

"But it hurts so much.." Ben's hollow cheeks were already damp with tears from the earlier attempts at getting him off of the bar.

"Just brace yourself, kid, we don't got much time." Kenny slid his hands under Ben's torso, preparing to haul him off of the bar in one quick tug. The older man looked up into Ben's face. Ben gave a slight nod, and then squeezed his eyes shut tightly.

Kenny yanked with all his strength, and managed to get Ben half way off. A scream of agony tore through the teenager's lips, and Kenny flinched but pretended he hadn't heard it, before giving one final yank, and with a wet, fleshy sound, Ben was free of the bar. Ben had lost consciousness before he even touched the ground again, slumping down lifelessly.

Kenny scooped the kid into his arms and pulled him close to his chest, staying down on his knees and looking around wildly for an escape in the tight space. The walkers were drawing close again, but they didn't seem to notice Kenny and Ben quite yet.

Kenny's eyes scanned and re-scanned the area, finding no door, no path to get out of the alley. There was no way he could make it over the gate with Ben in tow.

"Think, Kenny, fuckin' think..." He begged himself. There had to be something- Aha!

A few feet down the alley, Kenny spotted a small, jagged hole through the wall of the building. It looked just big enough to fit through, and Kenny's heart hovered a little higher with hope.

Ben was bleeding out, fast, and the warm feeling of Ben's blood soaking into Kenny's shirt was enough to launch the older man into frantic action.

Kenny stood up, Ben held in his arms, and made a break for the gap in the wall. He fell to his knees again once he reached it, peering inside. It was dank in the building, there was nothing lighting the small room except for the sunset filtering in through a window. But the room was empty, and that was enough for Kenny to awkwardly maneuver Ben through the space, before crawling through it himself. The snarling of the walkers outside became muted by the wall.

"That was too fuckin' lucky," Kenny remarked, climbing to his feet and panting harshly as he looked around, squinting his eyes. His arms ached. Carrying Ben hadn't exactly been an easy task, even at a short distance. The room appeared to be a small kitchen. It was relatively tidy except for one drawer that lay upside down on the ground, forks and knives scattered artlessly about. There was a musky smell hanging in the air, but Kenny hardly noticed it. The smell of decay was always in the atmosphere, and usually drowned out all other scents.

He turned his attention back to Ben. The ground beneath the teenager was already a small puddle of dark red, and Ben's skin was deathly pale, a sheen of sweat coating his face. Kenny cursed quietly, picking Ben back up and laying him out on the small kitchen table. Ben's feet dangled off of the edge, and Kenny smirked humourlessly at the sight.

"Alright, first things first, gotta stem the blood flow." Kenny turned back to the small kitchen, rummaging through drawers and cupboards until he finally found a small stack of washing rags on a bottom shelf. When Kenny picked one up, it crackled dryly beneath his fingers.

"This'll have to do..." Kenny picked them all up and brought them back to the table, where Ben lay completely immobile and unresponsive, his chest barely rising and falling.

He did the best he could to clean up the fatal wound, and ripped up the sleeves from Ben's sweater to dress it. By the time he was done, every single rag was soaked red with blood.

Kenny checked around the bottom floor of the building where he and Ben were currently in hiding, but he didn't find any creepy crawlies waiting in the shadows. He had managed to scour the whole of the bottom floor, at least, and found the front door on the other side of the building. He didn't bother going anywhere else for the time being. He'd need backup in case anything tried to jump at him from behind.

Kenny, now sitting slumped over in an old rickety chair, glanced over at Ben. The boy was still lying completely still on the table. The strips of sweater sleeves that covered his wound slightly bulged from where they were underneath his plain white t-shirt, which could be seen because of his open sweater- well, vest now. Thankfully, Ben's chest was rising and falling evenly, but the breaths were shallow and scratchy coming out.

Kenny was worried, to say the very least, about whether Ben would survive this or not. With the wound he was currently bearing, Kenny didn't think living was likely for Ben. There was too much internal damage that Kenny had no idea how to repair.

They needed help, and badly. But a doctor wasn't just going to appear out of nowhere, and nor were food and weapons going to. Kenny would have to make do with a dying teenager and a dark, dusty kitchen.

.-.-.-.

Kenny was itching to do something.

He's sat and sat in his and Ben's makeshift hideout for the past night and some of the morning, just waiting for the teenager to wake up and for the walkers to disperse. It'd been a while without any treatment, much too long, and Kenny was surprised that Ben was even currently alive. All he knew was that the pole must not have impaled his stomach otherwise he'd definitely be dead. Probably went through one of his kidneys, something of the like.

But the kid was still breathing. Shallowly, but he was breathing. And just this fact was enough to keep Kenny from leaving him and escaping on his own. He would have probably been able to if he just left Ben behind, to be found and likely eaten.

But he couldn't abandon Ben. Ben was the only one he had now. He'd bothered to save him in the first place, so he wasn't just going to go half way. He had Ben's life in his hands, virtually, and he'd decided to forgive and save it.

Everyone had made mistakes among the group, even Lee, albeit small ones. And Ben seemed to get the most shit for his. Sure he fucked up a lot, but he was only a kid who'd lost his entire family in one go. Kenny ponders a little guiltily on the argument they'd had back at the house, back when the rest of the group was still around. Ben was only just becoming an adult, not even that. He wasn't gonna kiss the kid's sorry ass in any sense, but he'd forgiven him for giving the bandits those supplies, and indirectly causing Duck's death.

Kenny ran his tongue over his dry, cracked lips, staring vacantly out of the kitchen window. This wasn't the best place to be with a slowly dying youth. Kenny knew that the wound was extremely fatal and probably infected by this point. And it was doubtlessly causing a ton of pain. Frankly he'd been waiting for Ben's quiet breaths to falter and then die away into silence, but the kid was still fighting for every intake of oxygen, and so far had yet to cut out on Kenny.

The sound of fabric scraping against wood roused Kenny from his thoughts, and the older man jolted in his seat as he realized it was coming from the kitchen table. Kenny whirled around, nearly falling out of the chair, causing it to tilt dangerously to the side. He saw Ben's chronically still form, shifting on the table. And Ben was muttering, as if he were being woken from sleep.

Kenny was at the teenager's side before even he knew it. "Ben? Can ya hear me?" he demanded, watching intently as Ben's eyelids very faintly fluttered. He was briefly hesitant to touch Ben, for some reason, so he just gripped the edge of the table and waited for the kid to come around on his own.

Slowly, Ben's eyes cracked open. "Uhnn..." he said. Unable to keep from comforting him any longer, Kenny placed his hand over Ben's upper arm, heart beating with hope.

"Ben? Ya with me?" Kenny whispered, as suddenly the silence was deafening, and he found he could barely manage to speak over it.

"K...K...en...ny?" Ben murmured, staring hazily at the ceiling. His voice was riddled through with acute pain. Kenny swallowed dryly.

"Yeah, I'm right here, you with me Ben? Nod if you're with me," Kenny coached, hoping that Ben could hear what he was saying. Ben's head turned ever so slightly to the side, and his half-clouded eyes met with Kenny's. He hadn't moved his head an inch before his body suddenly seized up.

"Can't... move. Hurts..." The teenager panted through clenched teeth, and Kenny noticed that his hands were clenched into white-knuckled fists.

"Alright, then don't move Ben, s'okay if you can't, we're safe," Kenny reassured, glancing over to the kitchen, which was a useless gesture. Nothing there could help ease Ben's agony.

"Ben, you just gotta stay calm and stay with me, okay?" Kenny had no idea what he was doing, what he should be telling Ben to do, but it was better than just sitting around doing nothing. Probably.

"Okay..." Ben moaned airily, and his limbs all slowly but surely relaxed until his body was once again limp on the table. Kenny felt himself calm down a little bit along with the teenager. There wasn't anything he could do except wait for Ben to give some other sign that he was okay.

"Having the others with us would be amazing right about now..." Kenny muttered, hitching up Ben's shirt feebly until he could see the poorly dressed wound. It wasn't bleeding excessively anymore, miraculously. But still, there was a fucking gaping hole in the kid's side, that hadn't been treated for over 12 hours. Ben was living by sheer force of will. It's been the only helpful thing he's done in ages, Kenny thinks jokingly to himself, but it doesn't even make his lips twitch, let alone pull a laugh from him.

"Kenny... Where are we?" Ben asked, his voice cracking and giving out in odd places.

Kenny slightly tightened his grip on Ben's arm, in a silent demand for him to stop trying to talk. "Somewhere in this godforsaken city. I don't know. We lost the others when you fell from the balcony and got yourself shish kabobbed. They probably think we're dead."

Ben wheezed a little. "We've gotta get back-"

Kenny interrupted him. "I know, and we'll fuckin' try, Ben, but Jesus, do you not feel the hole through your fuckin' body?"

"S-sort of..." Ben lifted his head and cast a weak glance down at his chest, not even asking where his school sweater's sleeves had gone. "Where is it again?"

Kenny shook his head slowly. "I still can't believe you're alive right now, kid. In any case, you're right, we should probably leave. I was just waiting to see if... you were gonna be stickin' around in the waking world."

Ben's brow furrowed slightly. "Well... I am. I think." The teenager's head fell with a dull thud back onto the table as he said this, his face turning ghostly white.

Kenny sighed, a deep, weighed-down sigh. "I really damn hope so. Now let's get out of here."

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

Sorry for the wait! This chapter is relatively shorter. I'll make up for it in the next one.

**Part Two**

It had taken some time to get Ben to stand upright,and when he finally had gotten on his feet after many attempts, the teenager nearly toppled over onto the ground immediately with a yelp. Kenny caught him under his arms just before he could smash his head on the table.

"Don't force yourself, Ben," Kenny said worriedly, letting Ben lean on him until he could stand on his own again. Ben managed to stay on his feet this time, but had to lean very heavily on the kitchen table. His whole body was quivering as if he were cold, but Kenny knew otherwise. The pain must be unbearable, he thought sympathetically.

"Guh- God..." Ben spluttered, gripping the edge of the table so hard Kenny could hear the bones in his fingers crack.

"Think you can walk?" Kenny asked, uselessly. The answer was obvious. But they had to get out of there, and soon. While Kenny had kept watch over Ben and the world outside, he'd seen, thankfully, that the walkers had slowly evaporated from the area around their hideout, realizing their meal was out of reach and going off in search of less fortunate souls.

Kenny wasn't sure how long they had until they were either trapped again, or they starved to death inside the ironically supply-less kitchen.

"Here, put your arm around my shoulders," Kenny instructed, wrapping his own arm around Ben's torso in a hold that kept the teenager upright without having to cling to the table.

Ben carefully slid one arm over Kenny's shoulders, digging his blunted nails into Kenny's shoulder as hard as possible as he let out a hiss of pain. Ben clamped his free arm down on his stomach, trying to lessen the pain in his side.

Kenny winced, but carried on the procedure of walking over to the front door, which lead to the opposite alley that Ben had fallen into yesterday, and which Kenny had kept a constant, surveying watch on.

"Alright, here we go..." Kenny muttered, adjusting all of Ben's weight to his right side, then reaching out with his free hand and turning the knob, slowly pulling the door open. When the opening was big enough, both Kenny and Ben peered out with squinted eyes as the sun beat down on them, momentarily blinding.

Kenny cast his adjusting gaze down left, and then up right. Left looked as if it led deeper into the small buildings littering the area, and would be more dangerous if walkers were lurking around every corner. Right looked as if it lead to a wider, more central road, and would probably help them find their way out better than the former, likely more confusing path.

Right it was.

"Kenny... I d-don't know if I can do this..." Ben whispered in a strained voice, still glancing sluggishly but panickedly around.

"It's alright as long as you shut up and don't fall."

"Gee, thanks for the concern."

"We're doin' this now. We can't stay here a second longer with the injury you've got." Kenny could feel his patience dwindling as his heart began to beat faster.

"But Kenny-"

"I'm not gonna stand here in the doorway an' argue with you for fuck's sake!" Kenny snapped, but kept his voice at a low volume. So far he hadn't heard any growling or snapping teeth, but who knew how close one of them could be? There were still some lingering just on the other side of the house, scratching at the barrier that Kenny had managed to make out of the small fridge in the kitchen.

"... Alright, fine." Ben relented, his shoulders sagging a little and his bottom lip jutting out slightly in that pouting way of his that fondly annoyed Kenny to no end.

"Fine. Now hold on an' remember to put one foot in front of the other."

Despite himself, Kenny glanced at Ben, who looked like he wanted to say something snappy in reply, but the redhead kept his mouth shut and nodded once, the movement filled with fatigue.

Kenny took the first few steps out the door, and Ben stumbled along next to him at a more halting pace. They made their way down the alley without any problems. Kenny kept Ben close to the building wall, in case the teenager would need extra support, and also to keep the pair of them more hidden and out of plain view.

They stopped where the wall ended and the side of the road began. Kenny released Ben, who quickly caught his fall on the wall, sliding down it shakily. Kenny peered around the corner. To his relief, the street was virtually vacant, excepting some walkers in the near distance to the right, but they hadn't seen Kenny or Ben at all. Kenny turned back to Ben, who was glaring hotly up at him.

Kenny got Ben back onto his feet, ignoring the look, and they began their shuffle down the side of the road, being careful to stay quiet and out of sight. Ben was panting rather loudly, but it wasn't a noise loud enough to draw attention. Cold sweat shone on the teenager's pale, narrow face, which was drawn tight with discomfort. He looked exhausted, Kenny thought sympathetically. So was he. But there was no stopping now.

There was no denying that they needed to find help, and fast, or Ben really was going to die.

_Not on my watch he's not, _Kenny mentally growled, trying to convince himself.

"Kenny.." Ben called in a pained whisper, and when Kenny turned his head to look at Ben, he saw that the there were tears collecting at the corners of Ben's light gray eyes. It took the older man a moment to realize they were tears of anguish.

With a start, Kenny veered them over to the front entrance of a small store with an umbrella roof. It was a relief to be out of the sun. He gently set Ben down and stayed in a crouched position, clutching Ben's shoulder to reassure him.

"What's the matter?" he asked, trying to meet Ben's clouded eyes.

"It fucking hurts." Ben said in a deadpan voice. He seemed a lot more comfortable sitting than walking. "Kenny, you... you should just leave me here. Find Lee and them. I honestly don't see how you're going to be able to get me out of the city alive. You could make it on your own."

Ben looked up pleadingly at Kenny, who gave a small shake of his head.

"Oh, it's crossed my mind I'll assure you," Kenny said casually, sliding to a sit next to Ben. He gave a dry smirk. "I didn't even think you were gonna live through the day. But..."

He glanced over at Ben, who was watching Kenny with a tiny, contemplative frown, but still the redhead remained attentive as Kenny continued.

"Ben, I... you know I can't do that. We've been through too much together. You're... I... I just can't leave you to die. I still have some humanity in me."

Ben's small frown turned into an equally small smile.

Kenny smiled silently in return, then lightly shoved Ben's shoulder. "Alright, enough of this sappy shit. And wipe that stupid smirk off your face. We've still got a ways to go, this is no time for happiness."

Ben looked surprised for a moment, but managed to school his grin into a neutral expression, turning his gaze to the long road ahead.

.-.-.-.

They had to stop three more times after that. Ben was drenched in sweat by the time the two of them can catch a glimpse the edge of the city, which leads out to a less sheltered area.

"TH-that's not the waterfront..." Ben points out quietly, his hand still clutching Kenny's shoulder in a death grip, a grip that shows Kenny how much pain he's in. The trip wasn't exactly easy for Kenny either, though. Ben wasn't really carrying much of his weight, and he wasn't exactly as light as he looked.

It pains Kenny to push Ben along like this, but they have to keep moving while there's daylight. During their travel from the center of the city to the edge of it, they had searched for any possible ways to get to the rooftops again. Unfortunately there was no way they could try without making too much noise and drawing unwanted, undead attention.

Kenny huffed, hitching Ben up when he started to slip from his sort-of-secure hold. "I _know_, Ben. We couldn't risk going through the twists and turns of those houses. That's why we're going around. Got it?"

Ben caught his breath enough to mutter a reply, "Got it."

The two of them glanced at each other. Kenny apologetically, and Ben tiredly. That was the only conversation they'd had since their first pit stop.

The two of them went on trudging somberly along. They had begun to cross a street when the walker lurched towards them from the shadows, latching its bony fingers around Ben's upper arm and yanking the teenager out of Kenny's grasp with surprising strength.

Ben screamed, landing hard on his wounded side. The walked, also laying on the ground, began to crawl towards Ben, its bulging white eyes focused determinedly on Ben.

Kenny, who had been standing numbly in momentary shock, lunged at the walker, tackling it away from Ben in a moment of pure adrenaline. The walker struggled with Kenny until it was looming over him, mouth agape. Kenny could see down its disgusting throat as it leaned in for his shoulder. Kenny kept it at bay, pushing at it with all of his strength, letting out strained grunts.

"KENNY! Push it to the side!" Kenny vaguely heard Ben's frantic shout. He focused all his energy towards one of the walker's shoulders, then swung his fist at it, effectively knocking the undead man onto its side, where it continued to reach for him.

Kenny rolled away at the same time as Ben brought the heel of his foot down hard, landing it squarely in the center of the walker's temple. There was a wet, sickening_ crunch_, and the walker was a dead corpse once again.

Kenny struggled to his feet, breathing hard, heart pounding painfully. He looked up at Ben, who was staring down at the gory scene he had created, eyes wide. Slowly, the teenager looked up at Kenny. Then he fell to his knees, and more, less audible crunching was heard as a piece of skull was flattened under Ben's knee.

Kenny was by Ben's side as the teenager slumped onto his right side, clutching at his left one, small whimpers escaping from his mouth.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck fuck fuck..." Ben moaned, rocking his body from side to side, trying to stabilize the pain.

Kenny grabbed onto his shoulders, squeezing tight. He stared down at Ben concernedly. "Ben, it's okay, just walk it off, walk it off."

"Yeah, I'm okay..." Ben took a deep breath, his body going still again. Kenny felt his shoulders automatically relax. They stayed like that for a few moments, Kenny letting Ben recuperate.

"... Thanks. You saved my ass back there," Kenny said.

Ben nodded faintly. "Least I could do," he replied.

"To be honest, I think that's the most you could've done..."

"Yeah, alright, alright."

Kenny smirked, but gave Ben's shoulder a friendly pat. "You okay to go now?"

Ben sat up, wincing all the while. "Fuck... Have I got a choice?"

"Not really. But I can help you up. No need t' thank me or nothin'." Kenny offered Ben a hand, but Ben wasn't looking at him. His eyes were focused on something behind Kenny, and his face was slowly melding into terror.

Kenny spun around. Further down the street, a frighteningly large amount of walkers had begun to make their way towards the two men, slowly but steadily. More and more of them seemed to accumulate by the second, coming out of shadows or around corners, one even fell from a rooftop with a resounding _bang_.

"Oh, shit!" Ben exclaimed, scrambling to get to his feet. Kenny helped him up, holding him up by one arm.

"We have to run, Ben!"

Ben looked momentarily unsure, conflicted between the approaching slaughter fest and his own still fatal injury. "But-"

"JUST RUN!"

They both ran.

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

Hey! I was going to ditch this fic, but someone requested I continue it, so I thought why not? I have no muse right now anyway, this could be a good way to get some of it back I suppose.

Kenny's POV, sort of. :D

**Part Three**

Ben and Kenny stayed a couple feet away from each other as they ran. The walkers were slow, but there was a lot of them, and Ben was becoming almost as slow as they were in each passing second.

Ben was panting very loudly, and Kenny had to keep slowing down in order to stay next to him. The older man glanced behind them again. They were a good few yards away from the walkers, but more and more of the fuckers seemed to keep accumulating, like bacteria. They all followed each other towards their prey.

Kenny slid to a stop, the gravel crunching under his close-to-destroyed sneakers. Ben caught up to him a few moments later, looking close to tears with relief that he didn't have to keep running. The teenager swallowed convulsively, then he gagged suddenly and leaned forward like he was about to throw up.

Kenny placed a hand firmly on the kid's back, keeping his eyes anxiously on the approaching undead behind them. "Ben, can you make it?" He asked urgently, leaning down to try and catch Ben's eyes, but they were clenched tightly shut. Ben coughed wetly into his hand, the force of his hacking making his body shake and look like it was about to give up on him. When Ben removed his hand, Kenny saw red splattered across it.

Kenny snatched up his wrist, looking at the blood in shock. "Shit, shit, shit," He growled, feeling on the verge of a panic attack as he looked back at the walkers again before stepping in front of Ben and hauling him into his arms, cradling him like an extremely over grown baby so as not to put any strain on his torn open wound. Ben clutched tightly onto the neckline of Kenny's shirt, until his bony knuckles were bleached white.

"Kenny, you can't..." He began, but Kenny told him to shut the fuck up and started to run again, his pace considerably slower now with Ben weighing him down. Kenny ran and ran until his legs were burning and numb, until he reached the edge of town and broke free from the surrounding houses that kept him caged in with all those god damn walkers.

With a heavy grunt, he laid Ben down on the grass (almost dropped him really), straightening up and staring around. They seemed to have just gotten free of the neighbourhood. A little ways down was a small gate that curved along the houses, probably leading to the waterfront where they could possibly find Lee and the rest. At least Kenny hoped. And dearly.

Kenny bent down so that he was crouching next to Ben. He reached over and rubbed the teenager's shoulder, hoping that he would be okay for more walking, which they probably should be doing sooner rather than later. That group of walkers would eventually find them again if they remained in the same place for too long.

"Hey, Ben, you still there?" Kenny spoke softly, quietly.

Ben grunted, pushing himself to sit up. He winced sharply, squeezing his eyes shut. "Still here," he replied through his clenched teeth.

Kenny breathed a small sigh, though he's not sure if it's from relief or fatigue. Probably both. "We have to move, or those walkers are gonna swarm us. Rip us apart."

Ben nodded, swallowing loudly. "Right... Can you help me up?"

Kenny reached under Ben's arms, hauling him slowly to his feet. Ben swore vehemently before clamming up again. Kenny held onto the kid's upper body, making sure to keep him stable. Ben teetered for a moment before gaining a precarious balance.

Kenny reached up his free arm to point to the railing that he'd spotted earlier. "See down th- you okay? alright- see down there? We can go on down there an' you can hold onto the rail to keep your balance better, that alright?"

Ben nodded again, holding tightly onto the fabric at the back of Kenny's shirt.

"Alright, okay, okay... Everything's okay," Kenny rambled. "Okay. I'm pretty sure that rail will lead us to the waterfront, where we were headin' back when we were with Lee and them. I'm sure that if they're there, we'll find 'em." Kenny rubbed Ben's back, a silent reassurance, though he didn't even believe himself. "An' if not, then I guess it's just you and me."

After a few beats of silence, Ben mumbled something under his breath.

"What was that?"

Ben lifted his head. "It's you and I, not you and me."

Kenny blinked. "Shut the fuck up, Ben. I was tryin' to create a moment."

Ben smirked weakly. "Sorry."

"C'mon, let's go."

Kenny began to walk slowly, making sure that Ben could keep up with each step. The two of them slowly traversed the bare, stretching grass until they reached the rail. Ben clutched onto it, sighing in relief. Kenny let him walk on his own, but stayed right by his side. The view over the railing was a mote that opened up into a large, shimmering lake. The sun was slowly sinking into the horizon, setting the sky on fire. The glowing sphere was slightly hidden behind a large road bridge, which was extremely far away, and one could already tell from looking that it didn't lead to this side of the expansive lake.

Ben made a soft sound in the back of his throat. "It's so... nice," he ended lamely. Kenny could understand that it was probably difficult to be enthusiastic about the fucking _sunset _during an apocalypse.

Kenny shook his head slowly. He agreed however, that the multiple colours that the sky was turning were undoubtedly beautiful, if somewhat... blinding to his older eyes.

"It ain't gonna be pretty for long," he replied instead, turning his eyes to the grass in front of them. "Once the sun goes down, we'll barely be able t' see."

Ben looked at Kenny snappishly, his eyes widening. "But the lights from the town will help, right? They're still on and working."

Kenny sighed tiredly. "I don't know if they'll help while we're all the way out here, Ben. I mean, we can still see the town itself, but I'm not sure if the light reaches all the way down here." He looked at Ben, who's eyes were scared. He began to regret what he'd just said. "They might, though. And we have a trail to follow, so I'm sure it'll be fine."

Ben nodded slowly, turning back to the setting sun, his expression somewhat pleading now as he stared at it. Kenny couldn't understand how his eyes weren't irritated from that... his own vision was already spotted black just from a glance.

They continued walking in silence, mostly listening for any signs of walkers nearby.

After somewhere in between five an ten minutes of this, Ben began to cough again, slapping a dirt-slicked hand over his mouth. His coughs sounded scratchy and _wet,_ and it made Kenny feel ill just listening. He patted Ben's back, waiting for him to pull up again. When the teenager removed his hand from his face, there was fresh blood splattered over his hand.

"Shit, Ben." Kenny clenched his jaw.

Ben looked miserable. He was gaunter than Kenny had ever seen him, paler too. "I'm dying," Ben said hopelessly.

"You're not, you just need treatment for that fuckin' wound," Kenny kept himself from snarling the words.

Ben swallowed, licking his lips. They turned red under his bloody tongue's attention. "I don't know, Kenny... I feel _really_ light headed right now."

Kenny stopped in his tracks, turning quickly. "Why didn't you tell me, you fucking idiot!" he growled.

Ben shied away, gripping the rail with both hands now. "I've been feeling like this since I woke up in that kitchen. It's just getting much stronger now."

Kenny growled again, this time wordlessly, and slumped down into the grass, leaning against the railing. "You're losing blood. Here, let me fix up the dressing on your wound, make sure it's holding it together."

Ben bit his lip. He glanced away. His eyes suddenly widened, and he turned fully towards the direction he was looking. "Kenny, I think I see the waterfront!"

Kenny started, sitting up straight and peering down the lakeside. Sure enough, down the way there was a long line of boats that neither of them had seen before, and the lake was gradually widening the further down it went.

"Fuck. We have to get there before the sun is gone." Kenny got back onto his feet. "Think you can make it there, Ben? Then we'll see how your injury is holding up."

Ben nodded vigorously. "Yes, definitely. I just don't wanna be out in the open anymore. Let's go."

And so they went, post-haste.

By the time they reached the waterfront, there was only a sliver of sun visible in the sky, and the rays that it was emitting were slowly dying out. Ben nearly collapsed when they finally reached a wooden bench, falling back onto it and letting out a huff of air. Kenny dropped down next to him, telling him to pull up his tee. Ben did, and Kenny checked the dressing that he had created out of Ben's sweater sleeves. The fabric was soaked through where the wound was, and had loosened a lot since it had been placed.

Kenny removed the filthy dressing, turning it over and pulling a rag out of his pocket that he had brought from the kitchen. He wiped off some specks of dirt that had gotten on the outside of the dressing, then pressed an unbloodied area of the cloth back to Ben's wound. Ben hissed loudly, gripping the bench until his knuckles went white.

"Sorry Ben, sorry," Kenny apologized quickly, tying the dressing tight, making sure it was secure. Ben shook his head, waving his hand dismissively.

"Alright...There we go." Kenny sighed with relief as Ben pulled his shirt back down, tucking his vest tightly around his body.

The two of them sat in silence for a few moments, looking around the waterfront for any signs of human activity.

A breeze had begun to pick up as they had drawn closer to the waterfront, and was now biting at Kenny's exposed face. Ben shivered next to him, rubbing his bare arms.

Kenny looked at him apologetically. "Sorry 'bout your sweater."

Ben looked sideways at him, then shrugged, staring out at the water again. "It's okay. It was necessary."

Kenny sighed, rubbing a hand down his face, unknowingly getting blood smeared across one cheek. "I guess."

They sat for a while longer in silence, then Kenny stood up, casting his gaze all around before the last sliver of the sun disappeared behind the horizon. Kenny shook his head gently. "Guess nobody's here."

Ben nodded, standing up as well, stepping close to Kenny as he took a look around himself. "We shouldn't stay out here, right?"

Kenny shrugged, but he could feel himself beginning to tense as the moon began to brighten in the sky, and it became harder to see. There was only the dull glow coming from the town.

"We should probably find shelter... but it seems safe enough out here. Not a walker in sight. They're all drawn to the lights and noises of the town." Kenny looked at Ben, silently asking if he was okay with staying by the waterfront.

Ben swallowed, his teeth shattering audibly. "Y-y-yeah, alr-right..." He hugged himself tighter.

Kenny looked around again. "I'll keep watch, okay? But you gotta get up in a few hours so I can get some sleep. We can't risk going back into town but neither can we risk sleeping and going unnoticed if Lee and them pass us by."

"I could take watch first-" Ben started.

"No, no way Ben. You're practically _dying_ for fuck's sake. Just get some rest, you idiot."

Ben pressed his lips together. He looked emotionally hurt, like a kicked puppy. Kenny fought from rolling his eyes, but he felt a pang of regret for hurting the kid's feelings. He seemed to be regretting a lot of things that he said to Ben recently. Not that he was about to say sorry.

Ben curled up on the bench, which wasn't nearly long enough for his legs. He wrapped himself into a loose ball and closed his eyes. He looked anything but comfortable but it cradled him better the ground probably would.

Kenny sat down in the grass a few feet from the bench, and waited for whatever was out there, be it Lee or more walkers, the moonlight casting and eerie, colour-leached glow on everything around him.

TBC


	4. Chapter 4

Hello. I'm writing this at two in the morning. What am I doing with my life, hahahah. Writing for fun, that's what. Anyway, here's the next chapter written up nice and quick to give to you guys, because I hate to leave people hanging for too long! Plus it's pretty long. :D

**Part Four**

Kenny's eyes crack open slowly, and the morning sunlight that invades his pupils causes him to snap them shut again. He moans softly, finding himself laying on his back in a patch of dry grass that jabs at him through his shirt. His arms and legs are spread out. He attempts to open his eyes again, and lets the sun sting them until he becomes used to it. He sits up with another soft moan, rubbing firmly at the back of his neck where a kink has formed. He looks around, taking in his surroundings. It's daytime now. He squints at the sun, which has just started to rise above the water seen in the distance, the opposite place to where it had set. Everything was oddly, peacefully still and quiet, except for a slight wind.

Kenny swallows around his dry tongue, which has a texture similar to sandpaper. "Ben?" He asks hoarsely, looking behind himself to where the teenager had fallen asleep on the bench. Ben lay there, in the same curled up position he was in before. He looked stiff and pale. Kenny felt a rush of fear hit him in the gut.

"Ben?" he asked again, staggering to his feet and going over to the kid, taking him by the shoulder and shaking him softly. "Ben, wake up," he said, in a voice just as gentle as his touch. "You alive?"

Ben made no movement. Kenny shook him again, a little harder. "Hey, hey, wake up now, wake up."

Ben still did not stir. He was cold to the touch. Kenny fell to his knees again, taking Ben's face in his hands and slapping his cheeks lightly. "Ben, Ben," he called, his voice an octave higher, panic rising in him like a tidal wave about to crash down on a beach. Had the kid died over night? Kenny swore. He started to rub Ben's arms hard, trying to circulate his blood. Then he realized he should feel for a pulse.

Kenny pressed two fingers to Ben's wrist, waited... There it was. Weak, but undoubtedly there. Kenny gave a harsh, angry sigh of relief. "Fucking hell."

Ben's eyelids suddenly parted, revealing his dull, grey orbs, which stared blankly for a moment before flicking up to Kenny.

"Hey, Ben," Kenny greeted, smiling tightly, patting him on the shoulder. Ben didn't say anything. The teenager's eyes began to roam across the grass, then out to the water, then across the sky, as if he were searching for something. Kenny got to his feet again.

"You scared the shit outta me," the older man admitted, scratching at his arm, where the grass had poked and irritated it. "Thought you'd died overnight, you look like a corpse."

Ben swallowed, his adam's apple bobbing, and remained curled up, apparently not able to move quite yet. "Any sign of Lee and the others?" Ben finally spoke, his voice faint and ill and weak. Kenny froze. He was supposed to keep the watch last night, and he had fallen asleep. He had just been so _tired,_ his bones had felt like lead. They still did. But still, that had been his duty, and he'd failed.

"Uh... No, no sign of them," Kenny muttered eventually, looking away. Ben didn't reply, but he groaned. Kenny looked back to see him pushing himself to an unright position, his arms trembling like a couple of tree branches in a storm.

"Water... I need water," Ben said, his voice scratchy and almost too quiet to hear over the soft morning breeze.

Kenny bit his lip, then looked down to the water front, which was glimmering like a gem, from the reflection of the sun. There was no way that the water in there was sanitary.

Ben was on his feet, arms wrapped around his skinny torso, looking in the same direction as Kenny. He began to take wobbly steps towards the water, pained noises coming from his mouth, but apparently his thirst was a more urgent matter than his health.

"Ben, stop that!" Kenny snapped, taking Ben around the shoulders and holding him back easily. "That water's filthy, you can't drink it."

"Please, please..." Ben sobbed dryly, turning and hugging Kenny, his grip so frail. Kenny felt his heart sink. How was he supposed to keep Ben alive, in such an unwell state? The kid was dying, had been dying two fucking days ago. It was a slow, agonizing way to go.

Kenny mentally shook his head, and hugged Ben to him at last. There was no way he could give up on Ben now. He wouldn't give up on him, not until Ben took his final dying breath.

"Alright, alright, shh.. I'll get you some water, just please sit down. Remember your injury."

Ben nodded faintly, smiling a crooked, broken smile at Kenny, who returned it hollowly. "Now go sit yourself back down on that bench."

Ben did as he was told, sitting down slowly and with a grimace. Kenny stared at him for a moment before turning towards the pier. There was so much water just sitting there, waiting to be drunk. Kenny felt his stomach whine with desire for it. The man looked back towards the town, a little ways down. There was no telling if Kenny would even be able to find clean water in there, and it was dangerous, with all the walkers and obstacles to deal with. Plus, he couldn't leave Ben all alone, and he couldn't take the kid with him either.

Kenny again looked to the water front, and sighed a long, thin and exhausted sigh. What choice was there? He began to make his way down to the water, casting a cautious eye around for any signs of walker, or even human, activity.

When he finally reached an area where he could touch the water, he crouched down and scooped his hands into the dark depths, pulling them back and staring down into the small pool of water that was slowly drizzling out of his cupped hands. It was brown, not at all clear. Kenny took an experimental sip, sloshing the water around in his cheeks. He swallowed and winced at the gasoline tint to it, along with a hint of decay. It was warm, it didn't taste good.

But Ben was dying of thirst. And so was he.

Kenny licked his lips, taking off his baseball cap and dipping it into the water, then he pulled it back out again. The water only seeped through the material and back into its original body. Kenny made a noise of frustration, standing up again and casting an eye around for something to hold the water. A little ways downwind, he spotted the plastic gleam of a water bottle, nestled against a small, dying tree.

Kenny made his way over to it, picked up the bottle, which was relatively clean inside, and went back to the water, where he filled the bottle, emptied it, and then filled it again. He turned and trekked back up to Ben, who was laying on his side again, clutching his stomach, long legs draped down to the ground, eyes closed.

"Ben, I'm back," Kenny said tentatively, wet hat in one hand, bottle of soiled water in the other.

Ben sat up again, his grey eyes wide and thankful as Kenny reluctantly handed the bottle to him. The teenager chugged the water until half of it was gone, and then came up for air before finishing off the rest.

Kenny watched, feeling guilty for letting him drink the dirty water.

When Ben finished, he sighed airily. Kenny sat next to him and rubbed his back. "Feeling a little better?"

Ben made a face, licking his bottom lip. "That tasted... horrible."

Kenny laughed, despite himself and everything else. "Yeah, it does taste pretty shitty."

Ben looked at Kenny, smiling very small. Then he looked forward, towards the pier. "What are we going to do?" he asked, spinning the plastic bottle in his hands, scrunching it up and making it crackle.

Kenny looked out at the water with Ben. "I don't know."

They sat in silence, listening to the morning breeze for a while.

"What I'd like to do is get the fuck outta this town," Kenny said, his voice low.

"So would I," Ben agreed. "But we already know there are no boats that we can use here. And the other one was stolen."

"I know," Kenny hissed, anger flaring in him. "I can't believe that shit."

Ben sighed, dropping the bottle to the ground and stepping on it. Kenny watched the plastic bend under Ben's shoe.

"We'll have to find something that substitutes as a raft," Kenny said.

Ben laughed without humour. "How the fuck are we going to find a raft, or anything similar to one?"

"We'll just have to try."

"What, go back into town? You're crazy, old man."

"What the fuck else are we supposed to do?" Kenny exclaimed, jumping to his feet and whirling on Ben. "Sit here and wither away? Starve to death? Let the walkers get to us? Well, if you wanna die, you can just lay here and _die. _I've got plans for the future."

Ben shrunk down under the words, hurt flashing across his sallow face. "I... I _don't_ wanna die," he whispered.

"That's what's gonna happen to ya, with your attitude."

Ben stood up now as well, glaring at Kenny. "I'm just being realistic!" he retorted, raising his voice, which was shaking along with every other part of him. Kenny stepped closer, daring Ben to fight him. Of course, Ben didn't. The kid sat right back down and put his head in his hands, his trembling hands.

"I get it, there's no other options. God, I wish Lee were here," Ben said in a harsh tone, grabbing his hair into his fists. "Then he'd be able to sort this shit out."

Kenny's eyes narrowed. "I have been doing _fine_ so far, I'd say. I've kept you alive this long, with a death-sentence wound like that, and that's how you thank me?"

"Again, just being realistic," Ben muttered. "Lee knows how to do things. Better than you do."

"Yeah, well we probably ain't ever gonna see him again, so you can shut the fuck up about your fucking hero Lee," Kenny spat.

"Fine," Ben said in a monotone.

"_Fine,_" Kenny returned.

They stewed in sulky silence for about a minute, before Kenny grew bored, and just couldn't stand it anymore.

"Look, let's just drop this. How are we supposed to live and help each other if we're fighting?"

"I don't _want_ to live, remember?" Ben said sarcastically, but a few moments later he nodded in grudging agreement with Kenny.

Kenny held out a hand, making a face at the same time. Ben grinned unevenly and took it, pulling painstakingly to his feet.

"Great. So, we're in agreement, for once; look for a raft, or something that could be used as one, and get the fuck out of here."

Ben nodded, looking back to the town with wide worried eyes. Kenny gave him a pat on the back, and though he made sure to be gentle about it, Ben still wobbled under the weight of Kenny's hand.

"God, I, I feel so sick..." Ben swallowed convulsively, his face going impossibly paler. "I've never felt so t-terrible in my life."

Kenny wrapped an arm around Ben's shoulders, offering himself to lean on. Ben let out a shaky breath.

"I can't bring you with me," Kenny said, realizing that eventually he would _have_ to leave Ben on his own, on this bench, to wait for Kenny to get back.

The two of them looked at each other, both of their eyes filled with fear and desperation. They clung on to one another, Kenny as Ben's physical support, and Ben as Kenny's mental support.

"That's okay," Ben eventually said.

"No, it's not. What is a pack of walkers found you? What would you do? You can't defend yourself."

"I can," Ben insisted, pushing on Kenny a little. Kenny released him, but not from Ben's strength; namely, lack of. "I still have enough in me to fend off a walker or two, I know I do," Ben continued.

"That's such a load." Kenny shook his head hard, giving Ben a firm, disapproving stare. "I can't leave you out here on your own. You need a weapon, as well as a hiding place."

Ben looked out to the water front, worrying at his bottom lip with his teeth. Kenny waited for him to talk.

"I could hide down by the water, in front of those cement barriers that are supposed to keep people away from the water," Ben suggested.

Kenny followed his line of sight, and nodded slowly. "Hmm. But what about a weapon?"

Ben turned and looked around the ground, where endless garbage was littered. Shards of glass glittered in the sunlight. Kenny looked up to the sun. It was already much higher than it had been when he had first woken up.

"Well, there isn't going to be a gun lying around anywhere," Ben said with a nervous tick of his eye. "But a shard of glass could work, if it were shaped just right."

"Shaped just right," Kenny repeated acidly, crossing his arms. "So, do you propose we spend all day looking for the perfect piece?"

Ben sighed sadly, reaching up and scratching at his scalp. His hair was so greasy that it shone in the sun. Kenny's probably did too. "I guess I'll use the nearest one."

Kenny turned and stalked off. "Allow me," he called over his shoulder. After a bit of looking he found a glass bottle, the top half broken off. The exposed rim of glass was jagged, with many pointy bits of glass sticking out like a circle of sharp teeth.

Kenny returned to Ben and gave him the bottle.

Ben stared down at it, then looked skeptically at Kenny.

"Best I could do," Kenny replied, annoyed. Ben nodded absently, holding the broken beer bottle close to his chest.

They stood looking at each other for a little while. Kenny broke the uncomfortable silence. "I better go before the sun goes down again."

"Yeah."

Kenny clasped a hand around Ben's shoulder, and stared at him with something akin to affection. "Be very careful, and very quiet. I promise to be back by sun down."

Ben's eyes flickered over Kenny's shoulder, then back to him. "Okay."

With that, Kenny turned an began his trek to the town.

"Kenny," Ben suddenly called. Kenny turned back to him.

"… Do you really think that?" the teenager asked. He was breathing so shallow that he looked completely still.

"Think what?" Kenny asked, somewhat exasperated at the lack of elaboration.

"That we'll never find Lee again. Clementine, Omid, Christa. Anybody. Do you believe that?"

Kenny looked at the kid. "Do you?"

Ben hesitated before answering. "Most of me believes it." He glanced up at Kenny. "But a small part says we just might find them again. Now you answer, I asked in the first place."

Kenny breathed a laugh through his nose, shook his head slowly. "We're never seeing them again."

Ben blinked. He frowned, pressed his lips together, and then turned away, walking down to the pier, his makeshift weapon gleaming. Kenny went in the opposite direction, worry for Ben and for himself twisting around in his chest. He wasn't sure he'd be able to keep his promise of returning.

TBC


	5. Chapter 5

Wooouuhh, another (unedited) chapter, and super early too! I had to cut this one off because it was getting too long, so the next chapter will probably be put up early as well! :)

**Part Five**

Kenny reached the outskirts of the town after only a few minutes of walking. He made sure to keep his breathing light as well as his foot falls; he needed to stay quiet and alert at all costs if he was going to survive this attempt to find his and Ben's getaway ride.

He knew for a fact that the town was like a maze, filled with danger at every turn, and it would be challenging just to enter and find his way back out, let alone find a makeshift boat as well.

Kenny hid behind the first building he reached, turning and pressing his back to it, and looking out on the imaginary path he had followed. From here, he could see almost the entire length of the water front. The sun was still making a rapid climb to the peak of its cycle, and it was getting hot under Kenny's shirt. Kenny squinted out to where he had left Ben behind. The teenager was no longer anywhere in sight, which Kenny assured himself was a good thing, but it still made his heart speed up a bit, not being able to have him in plain sight at all times.

Kenny closed his eyes briefly, huffing out a breath, trying to refocus on the task at hand. He peeked around the corner of his current hideout, looking down the road and into the city of Savannah. The street was bare of walkers. It however was littered with garbage, glass, bits and pieces of cars, empty cans and bottles, parts of household items, and countless other bits and bobs.

Kenny slipped around the building and walked into the city, stepping lightly on the junk that carpeted the street. He kept close to the buildings as he went farther inside, trailing his hand along the walls as he went. He peered down a street every time he came across one, looking for any easy openings, or any stores or buildings which could possibly contain something helpful. Sometimes he would venture into a store (if there weren't any walkers nearby) to look for food or any helpful supplies.

A couple hours later, Kenny sat himself down in the corner of a bedroom that he managed to wander into. He laid out all of his findings on the ground in front of him, and began to take stock. He now possessed a blunt-bladed pocket knife, a ratty old duffle bag, a box of saltine crackers (probably stale), and a fraying navy blue sweater which he had picked up for Ben, who no longer had sleeves to keep his fucking noodle arms warm.

"Well this has been fucking fruitless," Kenny muttered to himself, gathering his few items and packing them into the duffle bag, which would probably rip down the middle soon anyway. He kept the little knife in his pocket, just in case.

Kenny got to his feet and went down the tiny hallway of the house, ready to descend the stairs and start down the next street before heading back to Ben, who he was really beginning to worry about. He stopped dead however as he suddenly noticed soft growls coming from just down the staircase. Kenny stayed completely still for a few moments, before slowly and carefully setting his bag down, and pulling out his new knife, just moments after pocketing it. Kenny went silently down the stairs, and stopped at the bottom, peering around the corner.

There it was, a walker standing on the other side of the room, ambling around mindlessly. Kenny wanted to growl with annoyance, but he held back the sound, as well as holding his breath. His heart began to pound hard against his ribs. He knocked his knuckles lightly against the wall, and then stepped back up the bottom stair, waiting for it, filled with the dread that always came when having to deal with walkers.

Kenny listened to the slide of its feet as it moved closer, closer, almost there, one more step, and...

As soon as the walker's head peeked around the corner, its face ugly and rotten and frightening, Kenny lunged, shoving the tiny blade straight between its eyes and through its skull.

The walker screeched and gurgled, lunging at Kenny, who lost his grip on the handle of the knife and fell backwards from the walker's weight, his back and head slamming against the stairs. Kenny let out a pained yell, then proceeded to struggle for his life as the walker clung to him and snapped its teeth in his face. Kenny flinched away, shoving his hands into the walker's shoulders, keeping it just at bay.

The pair of them pushed and pulled and the walker began to growl loudly, ready to take a generous bite. Kenny was making sounds of fear and desperation and he fought and hit and kicked. The handle of his knife brushed his cheek as the walker came very close to taking a chunk of Kenny's neck off. Kenny grabbed on tightly to the handle, yanking the blade out of the walker's head and bringing it around, ramming it up into the back of its skull. The walker died instantly, collapsing onto Kenny and driving him back down into the stairs.

Kenny lay there, panting and tasting the decay-smell that was coming off of the dead man pinning him down. Just when he recovered his breath, Kenny shoved the body off of him, staggering to his feet and leaning against the wall.

"Piece of _shit_," he spat at the corpse, turning and going back up the stairs to snatch up his duffle bag. As he passed by the dead walker on his way out, he pulled his pocket knife from its head and flipped it shut, shoving it into his pocket.

When the sun hit Kenny again as he returned outside, he felt a little calmer, though he was still thoroughly pissed off that that event had just occurred. He shook his had as he started back down a new street, hitching the bag up higher on his shoulder. He raised his head and squinted, cupping a hand over his eyes. He still had a long way to go to reach the other side of town.

Kenny stopped and looked up at the sky. The sun was shinning bright, at the peak of its empty blue canvas; not a cloud to be seen. Which was coming to be unfortunate, because Kenny could feel his sweat starting to stick his clothes to his skin.

He still had a few hours to explore, but he was starting to feel a bit weak in the knees from lack of food or water. He looked down at his duffle bag, thinking longingly of the crackers sitting inside. _No. I should get back to Ben first. He's probably as hungry as me, if not more. He needs these. _Plus the crackers would probably only serve to make him even thirstier, and he couldn't have that happen now.

Kenny managed to suppress the urge, and determinedly, with a new bout of strength, continued on his path. He trudged up to the end of the block, and made a sharp right turn, intending to loop back once he exited the city again. As he travels, hastily searching houses and buildings as he goes, he wonders if maybe there could be more supplies in Crawford, or a boat that could be obtained.

There was definitely no way that Kenny could go back in there, in any case. It was too infested for a lone man to venture into without extra sets of eyes and ears. But it would be so helpful to find a boat and fuel already in it...

Kenny stopped abruptly and dropped to his knees, letting out a dry sob. This was hopeless. He had absolutely _no one_ to help him. There as no food or water, no protection, no weapons, no boat with fuel, no nothing. The unrelenting sun was scorching Kenny through his clothes, and for the first time in a long time, he considered that he might just die here, in this fucked up town on this fucked up world.

Kenny was slumped down on the ground, his head bowed and his hands pressed to the heated pavement. Sweat fell from his forehead onto his fingers, and it felt cold. Kenny stuttered another sob, but he wasn't crying. He was just giving up. Ben was going to die out on the pier, wondering where Kenny had gone. And Kenny was never going to see another living human face again.

_Click._

Kenny froze. That was undeniably the sound of a gun being cocked, and right above his head. Kenny narrowed his eyes, wondering if he'd only imagined it. Slowly, he raised his head, and the barrel of a gun was staring him in the face.

A young, toned woman was staring down at him, one eyebrow raised. She looked to be in her late twenties or early thirties, with vibrant orange hair that fell in curls around her freckled face, and green eyes that were too large on her. She stepped back as Kenny slowly moved to stand up, but she didn't tell him to stop, so Kenny got to his feet, reaching out to balance himself with one hand against the building next to him. He held up his other hand in a sign of surrender.

"You a good guy or a bad guy?" The woman asked. Her voice was high pitched.

Kenny swallowed, and licked his cracked lips, tasting blood from how dry they were. "Good. I'm good."

The woman stared silently at him for a moment, then nudged her gun towards Kenny's bag. "Show me what you got. And empty your pockets too."

Kenny's face scrunched up at that. "But It's all packed up nice, I don't wanna have to do it up again... I'm fuckin' exhausted," he protested weakly.

The woman stepped closer to Kenny, aiming her gun right between his eyes and narrowing hers. "Just do it you hillbilly."

Kenny winced, holding his hands up and close to his face, palms facing her. "Okay, okay! Just quite shovin' that thing in my face. I've got a kid that I'm takin' care of." The words were out of his mouth before he realized it, and he felt his cheeks heat up more than they already were from the sun.

The woman's eyes widened at those words, and she lowered her gun a fraction, so that it was aimed at Kenny's chest now. Kenny's eyes flicked down to it, then back to the woman's eyes.

"You... you're not from the Crawford group?" she asked hesitantly, still remaining out of Kenny's reach. "Cause I know that they hate kids and they're proud of it."

Kenny shook his head. "No. I'm not. In fact, I've been hiding from 'em for the past while too, before I found out there _is_ no Crawford group anymore."

The woman blinked, her gun now held tightly at her side, no longer aimed at Kenny. "No Crawford group?" she asked quietly, brows crinkled together.

Kenny opened his mouth to say something, but he tensed at the sudden growling sound or a walker just around the corner behind the woman. The woman turned around, holding her gun back up and aiming it towards the direction of the noise. Kenny peeked over her shoulder, eyes wide. The walker rounded the bend very suddenly, its growls turning into snarls as it spotted the two of them, but the woman was quicker and shot a bullet into its shoulder, sending it to the ground with a disturbing scream.

The woman turned and ran past Kenny, turning back down the street he had just walked for hours on to get here. "Run you idiot!" she yelled over her shoulder before disappearing behind the building. Kenny spun around to run after her, his steps a little lopsided because of how weak his muscles were. Kenny kept his blurry vision fixed on the bright red hair of the woman, because it was easier to keep an eye on as he ran for his life. The woman stopped under a metal balcony, looking up at it and slinging her backpack off of her shoulders, setting it down and opening it to riffle through the cluttered items inside.

Kenny reached her and crouched by her side, panting hard. "What are we doing out in the open?" he whispered harshly, his voice scratchy.

"Just give me a second," she said distractedly, sweat beading on her brow and dripping down her sharp nose. Her movements became frantic as she couldn't find whatever the fuck it is she was looking for. Kenny grabbed her shoulder and shook, glancing over his shoulder multiple times. The woman shrugged him off violently, finally pulling out what she wanted.

It was a thin string, with a fish hook attached at the end. The woman stood back up and grabbed onto the front of Kenny's shirt, pulling him to his feet as well.

"Stand back," she ordered, and Kenny did, looking over his shoulder again. A few walkers were heading slowly but menacingly towards them, their rotten arms reaching out like claws.

The woman to unwind the string, the hook hanging down at the end. Then she swung the string upwards with calculated precision, and the hook sailed close to a metal ladder that was folded upwards. Now Kenny understood what she was trying to do, and started to encourage her, wanting desperately to get off the ground.

"Shut up!" she hissed, aiming again and launching the hook. She missed the next five times, and by then the walkers were only a few yards away. The woman had sweat dripping down her face, her eyes wide and frantic, but still steady. "Just one more try," she kept repeating to herself, and Kenny was about to lose it, standing and waiting to get ripped apart.

"Fucking DO IT!" Kenny shrilled, backing away from the approaching walkers. The woman launched the hook again, and this time it caught on the ladder.

The woman let out a hysterical laugh, and wrapped the rest of the string around her palm, tugging firmly, bringing the ladder down with an echoing rattle. She hopped on and climbed the ladder in a matter of seconds, turning and gesturing for Kenny to climb. By now the walkers were mere feet from Kenny, who was quick to climb the ladder as well. When he made it to the balcony, the woman shoved him aside and started to pull the ladder up, but a couple walkers clung to the end of it when it reached the halfway point. The woman huffed out a breath and pulled out her gun, shooting them both, one in the head and the other in the shoulder again. They both let go and she pulled the ladder the rest of the way up, locking it in place.

Kenny watched her, holding on the the balcony railing for support. "What... What's your name?" he asked, straightening up as she turned to look at him.

"Erica," she replied, stuffing her gun back into its holder. "My name's Erica."

TBC


	6. Chapter 6

Voici la prochaine chapitre~! (Do any of you speak French? It's my second language. :D) This chapter is _unedited,_ cause I'm lazy. Sorry about the lack of Ben in the last chapter... But hey, he's back again in this horrible chapter, so don't worry!

(Also, for those who don't like OCs, I promise that Erica isn't going to be a new member of their group! This story is called Duo for a reason!)

**Part Six**

Kenny stood there for a long, tense moment, staring at the woman -Erica- hesitantly. She looked back down the balcony where walkers were rapidly starting to gather, and then turned back to him, and they stared at each other in silence for a few moments before Erica nodded her head towards the door behind her. "Lets go inside, and you tell me about Crawford."

Kenny pressed his lips together, glancing out at the sun, which was just beginning to set. "But my... my, uh.. the kid I mentioned is out there on his own..."

The women's mouth parted in shock. "You left your son out _there_ by himself? What the fuck is your problem?" she suddenly lunged forwards and pushed him against the balcony. Kenny flinched in pain, gripping the railing that his spine was now painfully pressed to. He didn't bother to correct her that Ben wasn't his son; he didn't want to make her even more upset and end up pushing him over the railing.

"I couldn't bring him into this walker maze! He's seriously injured, he can barely stand!" Kenny retorted nonetheless, slitting his eyes and bracing himself as the woman's face contorted in fear and anger.

"He's seriously hurt!? What in the fuck happened to him? Where the fuck is he?" She released Kenny and went to the edge of the balcony, her eyes darting around frantically across the roads as if she were expecting to see Ben standing there. She seemed to be very concerned for a child she didn't even know. Maybe in the past...

Kenny turned and kept his eyes warily fixed on Erica, resting one hand on the railing. "He's nowhere close to the city. Well, he is... but he's a five minute walk away from the edge of it. I left him somewhere hidden, with something he can use to kill any walkers that may pas."

Erica rounded on Kenny again, and he flinched, but she seemed to calm herself before she could strike him. Her fiery brows slowly furrowed. "_Kill_ the walkers!? Hang on, how old is this 'kid'?"

Kenny opened his mouth, but just then Erica raised a finger, glancing down as the walkers snarled up at them. "Hang on, lets go inside. We're drawing too much attention out here."

Kenny nodded in agreement, fidgeting nervously. Erica turned away from him with a scowl and pulled out a small key from her pocket, unlocking the door and stepping into the darkness. She turned and beckoned him inside, her green eyes glowing slightly. Kenny glanced nervously over his shoulder, his worry for Ben intensifying immensely. The sun was going down, already the air was growing cool... How was Kenny supposed to just abandon Ben like this? He really didn't have another choice in the matter... Ben must be cold, starving, and afraid, waiting outside with a broken beer bottle as his protection.

Regretfully, Kenny stepped into the condo, and shut the door behind him, his heart pounding. There was a moment of blind stillness before a battery-powered lamp was flicked on, sitting on a coffee table in the center of the room. Erica was perched on the arm of a worn beige couch, staring expectantly at him, her pale, freckled face illuminated dully.

"Well, sit down," she ordered. Kenny did sit down, in the chair across from her, his eyes unconsciously darting around the room, taking in his surroundings.

"So, how old is this boy of yours?" she asked again, her eyes intent. Kenny dragged his eyes back to her, sighing slowly. She didn't seem too displeased anymore, so he told the truth this time.

"Actually... he's not my son. But I've been looking out for him for a while now." Kenny swallowed as Erica narrowed her eyes. "He's eighteen years old, and able to take care of himself," he continued on quickly, feeling guilty even before the last word left his mouth. Ben was in no state to take care of himself.

However, Erica slowly nodded. "I see. But you said he's very injured. To what point?"

Kenny lowered his eyes. "It's fatal. He's been... stabbed, completely through. Three days ago now."

"No way..." Erica breathed. "There's no way..."

Kenny smiled without happiness. "Oh, there is. Ben has been a strong fighter, and somehow he was able to travel across town with me, all the way down to the pier."

Erica's eyes widened, and her lips parted slightly. "All the way down there? And you traveled all the way here? Today?"

"Yep. And I'm starving and tired, and I _have_ to get back to Ben."

Erica's face turned sad. "Look, mister, uh..."

"Kenny."

"Kenny. It's pretty difficult to travel across town at this time of night."

Kenny clenched his fists in his lap, his heart going even faster. He shook his head rapidly, getting to his feet again and pacing across the room. "I have to get back to the pier. I promised... I _promised_ him I'd be back by nightfall."

Erica stood as well, going over to Kenny and placing a hand on his shoulder, turning him forcefully around. She was strong... Likely stronger than Kenny. Definitely stronger than him while he was this weak and tired.

"I don't know who this Ben is... but I can tell his survival is important to you. I swear that we'll go back to him as soon as possible, but I'm telling you it's next to impossible right now. This condo is a dead end, we can't do any roof hopping without first descending from the balcony and finding a building that's close enough to the rest."

Kenny glared at her. "Why the fuck would you choose this place to live, if it's a dead end, somewhere you can't escape?"

Erica slipped her hand off of Kenny's shoulder, narrowing her own eyes up at him. "I feel safe here. The stairs to get up on this floor are collapsed, and the balcony is impossible to get to. I can actually sleep at night, not having to worry about walkers getting in."

"Fair enough..."

"Yeah, I'd think so. So what about Crawford?"

"Oh, that. It's... Crawford is overrun."

Erica's face turned to placid shock. "No shit?"

"None. I was there myself, and it's hell. Nobody was left alive."

The two of them stood for a long moment in silence as Erica seemed to process this. Finally, she looked back up at him, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear.

"You want something to eat?" She picked up the lamp left the room without waiting for Kenny to answer, probably already assuming that he would say yes. Kenny fidgeted around a bit in the dark, pulling his duffle bag higher on his shoulder, before going after her.

He found himself walking down a narrow hallway, glancing into each room as he went. He stopped at one of the last rooms, staring wide eyed at the large hole in the ground, illuminated by the sunset blazing through a window. He carefully stepped over the threshold, edging over to the gap and peering down it. At the bottom was a heap of rubble.

"Holy shit..." Erica hadn't lied about the stairs.

"Hey, stay away from there." Kenny spun around and saw Erica standing in the doorway, lamp in hand and one eyebrow raised. He smiled sheepishly and stepped away from the hole. Erica shrugged and left, and Kenny followed.

They both exited the hallway into a square kitchen, complete with a two-person dinner table. Erica again told him to sit down, and again Kenny did, leaving his duffle on the ground. He looked around this room too, taking everything in, appreciating it in a way. He laced his hands together on the table, not sure what else to do. Erica was messing around with things in the kitchen area. After a few seconds, she returned with a large cup of water and a plastic packet in her hands, placing both onto the table. Kenny looked down at the packet, reading the word "Poptart" and feeling his stomach clench immediately in reaction. Within a matter of two minutes the water was gone and the pair of pastries were eaten.

Kenny sighed in relief as his stomach was finally filled to satisfaction, almost wanting to cry from how grateful he was. But of course, he couldn't help thinking of Ben, and the situation he was in. Probably starving and catching hypothermia.

Erica was sat across from Kenny, finishing her own share of Poptarts with small bites. She was obviously relatively well fed already. "There's a spare room where you can sleep."

Kenny laughed. "I doubt I'll be doing much sleeping tonight," he said sarcastically.

Erica pressed her lips together sympathetically. "You should still try, so you have the strength to travel back to the pier tomorrow." Erica broke off a piece of Poptart, holding it up with a thumb and index finger. "Oh, and I'll be going with you, if you don't mind."

Kenny snapped his eyes up at Erica, who rolled her own. "I already told you before. _We_ will be going back to Ben as soon as possible. I said it and I'm not taking it back."

Kenny looked down at the table, then reluctantly nodded. "Thank you, Erica. I know it seems like I can't handle this on my own, and I probably can't. We're... Ben and I are not in very good shape, and haven't been ever since he got hurt." Kenny decided not to tell her that they had been separated from a group. It wasn't really important, anyway.

For the first time since Kenny met her, Erica smiled genuinely. It was a small, understanding smile. "I haven't seen folks around in a while. It's my pleasure to help, believe me."

Kenny returned the small smile with an equal one of his own. "I believe ya."

Erica nodded and glanced sideways out of the window. "It's getting dark. We should head to bed soon, to gather our strength." She looked back at him. "And our wits, of course."

Kenny breathed another laugh, though he didn't really find anything too funny right now. "Indeed we do," he replied dryly, pushing to his feet. Suddenly he felt a wave of nausea crash over him, and clamped a hand over his mouth, leaning with his other hand pressed flat on the table. Erica's eyes widened and she stood as well, going to take Kenny by his upper arm and steady him. _I can't throw up this food... _Kenny took a few deep breaths through his nose, managing to calm his churning stomach.

Erica tilted her head, trying to catch his eye. "You alright, Kenny? What was that?"

Kenny nodded his throbbing head slowly, and swallowed hard. "Don't know... Probably the sugar. Fuck..."

Erica seemed to relax. "Hmm." There was a moment of silence. "Shall I show you to your room? You probably need to relax, you got too much sun out there I reckon."

Kenny nodded again, brushing away the beads of sweat that had formed on his forehead and pulling his hat off, running a hand through his hair. Erica stared at him for a moment before turning and going down the narrow hallway. Kenny picked up his duffle and followed. She stopped at one of the doors at the other end, pushing it open and gesturing for him to enter the room. Kenny did, taking in a new room for the third time now. There was a double bed pushed up into the left corner, right up against a window. Kenny eyed the window warily, but in the end went over to the bed, sitting down on the end of it. He looked to Erica, feeling oddly timid.

"Well... thanks. Again."

Erica's lips twitched up into the faintest hint of a smile. "No need to thank me. Just rest, kay?"

Kenny nodded. "I will try."

Erica left, closing the door behind her. Kenny was left in the dark room which was solely illuminated by the moonshine. Kenny made himself comfortable, leaving his duffle, hat and shoes at the side of the bed and curling up under the covers.

As he stared at the wall across from him, Kenny thought, _what an unlikely change of events. I never dreamed I'd see another living person out here._

It was quite lucky that he had run into Erica when he had. Kenny bit his lip, shaking his head at himself. _I was just about to give up like the fuckin' coward I am. I didn't even consider how Ben would deal with that._

And of course, Kenny thought about Ben, completely alone out by the water. _I still am a coward for leaving him there._

* * *

><p>Ben had spent most of his day drinking the sickening, foul water from the pier until he felt ill from the gasoline in it, and sitting with his back pressed to heated cement, listening for signs of movement. It really was unfortunate that the sun had to shine straight at him for the entirety of the morning and down on him for a lot of the afternoon. Ben was sure that he had a nasty sunburn on his scalp by now, but he couldn't bring himself to let down his guard and shield himself, not even for a few moments. He had tried (quietly!) splashing himself with the water, but it hardly helped.<p>

Now, after many hours of nothing, nothing, and more nothing, no walkers at all, the sun was setting on the other side of the cement barrier, and much to Ben's relief the air began to grow cooler. He expected Kenny back in a short amount of time now.

Ben waited patiently as the sky began to dim.

Ben waited impatiently as the sky turned to orange flames.

Ben waited worriedly as it became harder to see and the cool air became bitter cold.

Ben began to panic silently as the sun at last disappeared over the horizon, and the stars could clearly be seen, along with the waning moon.

_Where the fuck is he..? Why didn't he come back before nighttime? He said he would. He fucking promised._

For some reason, the chilly air was having a negative effect on Ben's injury, and breathing became more difficult for him, as each intake of oxygen shot a lightning bolt of pain down his spine and straight to the rip through his body, where his kidney would be. God, why wasn't he dead yet?

To make matters worse, Kenny had probably gotten caught in the fray of the walkers littered within the city, gotten eaten, and that's why he wasn't back...

"Why haven't I died?" Ben asked, this time aloud, his voice shaking as he shivered from the cold. The teenager curled up tight, holding his knees to his chest and hiding his face in them. He couldn't find the energy to be upset anymore. It wasn't Kenny's fault that he'd gotten eaten by those things.

"Why did all of this happen?" Ben wasn't exactly sure _why_ he was talking to himself, but he didn't stop. Would it even matter if a walker heard him? How was he supposed to live through another day in the apocalypse without Kenny helping him to walk, urging him to not lose hope, swearing and yelling at him to keep going?

Of course, Ben considered the possibility that Kenny may have just ditched him out here... But somehow Ben couldn't believe that.

So maybe... maybe he _was_ alive, and lost within the city? But no, again that didn't seem like something Kenny would do recklessly.

Trapped then? Was he trapped in the city somehow, waiting for Ben to deal with his pain and go find him?

Ben pressed his lips together tightly as he pulled himself up into a sitting position again, dragging the broken beer bottle closer to himself. He shouldn't think so lowly of Kenny like this... _Even if he is a grumpy asshole._ There had to be a good reason that he hadn't returned. He couldn't believe that he'd thought and said those hopeless things a moment ago. He'd already tried so hard to stay alive, why should he just end it here? There were so many possibilities of living.

"I can't give up on him yet," Ben muttered through chattering teeth. So he held on, and hoped for the best. He didn't even notice himself falling into a light sleep partly induced by the cold. His head only fell softly back against the cement, and the world slowly, blissfully faded out.

TBC


	7. Chapter 7

Hey! Anonymous reviewers! You have all been so kind with your comments, and I wish very much that I could thank you privately! But alas.

HUGE THANKS TO MY NON-ANON REVIEWERS TOO! Y'all are cool as heck. I love to know your thoughts on the story :) I know I haven't been replying to anyone but I will soon~

**Part Seven**

Kenny woke up feeling warmer and more comfortable than he had in a long, long time. He lay completely still in the awkward curled up position that he had found himself in, unwilling to use his lax muscles which have been constantly tense for ages before this morning.

Eventually, he began to feel the cramped up areas of his body. and stretched his limbs out as far as they would go, cracking bones and popping joints. He blinked blearily up at the ceiling, his mind completely blank and unfocused. He glanced sideways and saw something sitting on the edge of the bedside table, and reached over to nab it up into the air and get a better look at it. It was his baseball cap.

At the sight of it, everything came flooding back to him suddenly, and he sat up almost violently, looking around to room with eyes that still couldn't focus. _Ben, oh shit, Ben_. He pulled his cap back on and tossed the body heated covers aside, throwing his feet over the edge, but as he did they ran into something. He shuffled sideways and stood up, looking down to see his duffle bag and shoes. Hurriedly, he slipped his shoes on and grabbed up his duffle, then left his room at a brisk pace.

_I wonder what time it is._

At this thought, Kenny stopped abruptly, then started up again at a doubly fast speed, coming out into the kitchen and looking out of the large window on the far left side of the room. The sky was gray, and only the very first breaks of sunshine were starting to peek over the horizon.

Kenny stared at the beautiful sight for a moment, captivated by its peaceful glow and lack of movement. It was a frozen masterpiece.

"Morning, Kenny."

He spun around as he heard the greeting right behind him. Erica was standing there, her green eyes shimmering with amusement.

"Did I scare you?"

Kenny laughed weakly. "Nah, just surprised me. I didn't expect you to be up so early."

Erica tilted her head at him. "I'm always up this early, hillbilly."

Kenny forced himself not to rolled his eyes at the name, turning away again and looking back out the window. He had wanted to look for a little longer...

"Well, we should eat breakfast and get ready to go fetch Ben. Leaving before daylight hits would probably be best."

Erica's words sent fear and guilt toppling down on Kenny again. He went to the kitchen table and sat down, scrubbing his face with a hand. "Right. I just don't know if he'll still be there. Or alive, for that matter." Erica lifted her eyes to his, her face turning sad.

They each wolfed down a bowl of stale but satisfyingly sugary cereal, without the pleasure of milk to marry with it. Kenny was simply grateful to be able to eat real food. (He winced at the memory of trying out a few blades of grass that one time, when he had been particularly desperate as his insides felt like they were being shredded from hunger. It hadn't been good, and it hadn't helped quell the pain at all. It was a stupid and embarrassing thing to do.)

"You should leave your duffle bag behind," Erica said, nodding at said bag slung over Kenny's shoulder. "We're coming back here anyway, right?"

Kenny looked up abruptly, feeling shock freeze him in place. "You- you're letting us come back with you? Are you serious...?"

Erica gave him a funny look. "Of course I am, your friend is dying out there, and he needs food and water and protection. What do you think I am, heartless?" Her eyes softened, and she gestured to Kenny's bag again. "Leave it here."

Kenny felt his hands begin to tremble as he dropped his bag a little harshly onto the ground. "Thank you, Erica... Thank you so much."

Erica shook her head quickly, turning away. "Stop that, I hate it when people are overly thankful."

"Erica." Kenny grabbed onto her upper arm gently, waiting for her to look at his eyes. "I owe my life to you," he said seriously, "and I promise that I will do anything I can to repay you, if the opportunity comes. Got that?"

The redhead was silent for a moment, before she nodded slowly, then turned away again. Kenny let her go and followed her out to the balcony, where a couple of walkers were still wandering aimlessly below.

Erica made quick work of them, using an impressive gun which remained almost completely silent as it fired. Kenny had no idea what kind it was, but it was a very useful thing to have. Maybe she'd gotten it from Crawford? She did seem to know them from the past, judging by her initial reaction at hearing about them... Kenny shook the thought away, refocusing on the task at hand.

Together they lowered the balcony ladder, Kenny waiting at the top until Erica reached the bottom, before he began descending. Erica folded the ladder back up into place, and then turned back to him, a cautious look on her face.

"Alright," she spoke in a low, calm voice, "We start traveling back down to the pier. I think the way you were doing it was the safest, so we'll keep to the side of the buildings and make our way down. Once we reach the pier, you lead us to Ben."

Kenny nodded, glancing over his shoulder, his jaw clenched.

Erica began to walk, and Kenny followed her. They moved in silence for 20 minutes, and in this time the sky had gotten brighter, the air warmer and less fresh. They never turned any corners or went into any buildings, and Kenny realized then that this trip would probably not take nearly as long as it had the first time. He had been looking in buildings, making pit stops, moving much slower because he had been so tired. Now he could go much quicker, and didn't have any reason to snoop around. It would take probably a couple hours to get to the pier, give or take. Kenny felt his chest loosen a little at this realization.

"Hold up," Erica said suddenly, and Kenny stopped walking, peering around the corner of a building with her. They were on one side of a mainstreet. The street was infested with a considerable amount of walkers, most of which were wandering around, some not even bothering to do that, instead choosing to stand and stare aimlessly with their haunting white eyes. The two of them would have to try and cross to the next building as silently and inconspicuously as possible.

"I'll go first," Kenny said, trying to step in front of Erica, but she shoved him back.

"No, I'll go first. I'm more practiced in this kind of thing than you are, it would be safer."

"Oh really. How can you be so sure?"

Erica scowled at him. "Just don't argue."

Kenny's hardheaded nature urged him to keep the argument going, but he shut himself up with a large amount of effort, gesturing rudely for Erica to carry on. The redhead looked around the corner again, and then, with the grace and swiftness of a feline, she crouched low and moved patiently out into the open, keeping her movements slow but constant.

Kenny held his breath until she had made it all the way across without any walkers noticing her, then he let it out a a short gust, shaking his head slowly in amazement. Erica gestured for him to go to her. He looked around the corner as she had, watching until it didn't seem like any of the walkers were going to look his way. Then he crouched down as low as he could go -not nearly as low as Erica- and stepped out into the street. He tried to move in the same way that she had, keeping his steps soft and rhythmic.

Once he had reached the other side, he caught sight of one of the walkers turning to look at him, just before he hid behind the building.

"Shit," he muttered, huddling next to his female companion, "I think one saw me. Or smelled me, or whatever the fuck those fucking things do with their ugly faces."

"Let's not wait to find out." Erica took off down the street, her steps still silent, even though she was putting a lot of force into her running. Kenny followed after her, sweat beginning to accumulate across his forehead. Maybe the travelling wouldn't be so peaceful. Kenny still had hope, though.

* * *

><p>A couple of hours had passed without too many problems regarding the city walkers. Kenny and Erica were skilled in their maneuvering, and remained enveloped deep in the shadows of the buildings, which were shrinking slightly as the sun climbed. The only thing that the pair of them couldn't get around was the heat, which began to thicken, the air becoming heavy, almost putrid. New sweat had dampened Kenny's shirt collar, adding another disgusting layer to dried sweat and blood. Kenny was already long used to the unpleasant scents, immune, and no longer noticed any of them. He wondered how Ben was coping with yet another day of no food or clean water, or even proper shelter.<p>

Thinking of the teenager, his only friend left now, still hiding next to the lake unprotected and barely living, Kenny glanced down at his right shirt sleeve, his eyes locking on a familiar smear of dried blood at the cuff. He'd gotten that one trying to patch Ben up as best as he could, with the limited supplies that he'd had. Memories of the dank little kitchen that the two of them had hidden in for a night started to drift up in front of his mind's eye, and he suppressed a shudder. Where could Lee and the others be? Had they found Clementine? Had they escaped Savannah by now? Kenny dearly hoped so.

"Hey, we're nearly to the pier. C'mon up here and lead the way," Erica called softly, and Kenny looked up from where his eyes had been fixed on the ground. She was only a few paces ahead of him, and was slowing to a stop now, waiting for Kenny to catch up.

"Okay," he replied, trying to keep his tone of voice casual. However, it still wavered a bit, showing his fear and uncertainty of the situation. Erica gave him a sympathetic glance, and he could see that her eyes also held some hint of worry in them.

Kenny stepped around her, giving her a reassuring pat on the shoulder as he did. He began to move steadily and purposefully forward, his gaze hardening with determination as he hastened his walk. He could just barely hear Erica following after him. As he looked around another building, he found that he recognized the next street down as the one that he had started out on, when he had just left Ben. It was the first route he had taken yesterday morning.

Feeling a mixture of panic and hope, Kenny raced down the road towards the street, turning left as he reached it and bolting down it without properly checking for walkers. A couple of them were still lurking in the shadows, but Kenny dashed straight past them, his heart giving a painful jolt, too quick for them to catch him. By the time he was nearing the end of the path, the pier was in sight, a huge, glittering diamond.

"KENNY!" Hearing the shriek behind him, he slid to a halt and spun around to see one of the walkers latched onto Erica's bare arm, leaning in to bite a chunk out of it. Erica struggled wildly, trying to throw it off or loosen its grip as she yanked at her gun, which was strapped into her holster.

Kenny felt his heart stop as he ran back towards her, and before he could think anything through, or remember that he had a pocket knife, he barreled into the walker, sending both he and it to the ground. As he wrestled with it, trying to restrict its hands to the ground, he heard a muted gunshot above his head. Erica had shot the other one, and it landed in a limp pile of rotten flesh and bones a couple feet away from him.

"Kenny, hold it still!" Erica yelled, her gun pointed at the grappling pair on the ground. She was unwilling to get close to the clawing, growling walker beneath Kenny. He tried rolling them around, but the walker was quite strong, and had its arms firmly gripped around Kenny, its teeth inches away from his collar bone.

"JUST SHOOT IT!" Kenny howled, trying to ward the jaws off with his forearms. He was so panicked that he couldn't hear anything except for his own pounding heart in his eardrums. A shock of pain suddenly lanced through his shoulder, and he let out another yell, this time wordless and pain-filled. The walker bit him. _It bit him!_

The undead arms around Kenny slumped to the ground, and its head lolled away. Kenny stilled, looking up at its face. There was a bullet hole, clean through its jaw, still slightly steaming. Kenny rolled away from it and sat up, clutching onto his tormented shoulder. He felt warm liquid seep through his fingers, and devastation swept across his mind, blurring his vision, making his ears ring. He was infected. He was going to turn. He...

"Kenny? I'm so sorry!" Erica's voice cried, and Kenny blinked out of his haze to see her on her knees next to him. "I'm usually not such a bad shot..."

"It... it's okay," he said hollowly, slowly removing his hand from his shoulder and staring down at the smeared blood across his fingertips, "You killed it. Even though it's too late now, you still killed it."

"Too late?" Erica frowned, reaching for his shoulder and drawing the singed fabric away, exposing a large gash across his flesh.

Kenny stared at the wound in addled confusion. "What kinda bite mark is that?" he asked numbly. Erica drew in a quick, startled breath.

"Ken, the walker didn't bite you! I shot your shoulder! Well, the bullet skimmed you, thank god, but that's gonna fucking hurt for a long time. I'm so sorry!" Erica lowered her head, her hands falling to her sides.

Kenny stared at her. He stared at her for a long moment, then surged forwards and hugged her fiercely. "Thank you! Oh god, thank you so much!"

"Wh-what?" Erica questioned, sounding bewildered. Kenny drew away and beamed at her. "I thought that walker had me. I thought it bit me, but you killed it in time! Thank you!" He felt relief begin to pleasantly suffocate his lungs, and started to gasp for breath. He stared at Erica in wonder.

If he had died then, would she still have helped Ben out of his predicament?

At the thought of the teenager, Kenny lunged to his feet, adrenaline still rushing through his body. Now that he realized he wasn't going to turn into one of the undead, his priority returned to retrieving Ben and bringing him safely back to Erica's place.

"Anyway, we'll deal with my shoulder later," he said, his voice stronger than it had been since Ben fell from that balcony. "Let's go get Ben. Please."

Erica nodded, straightening up as well. He glanced at her for a moment, wondering why she wasn't mad at him for running off and almost getting the pair of them killed, but it felt as if time was running out quickly. He nodded back at her and turned back to the pier, breaking into a run again, Erica a couple meters behind. They stopped just on the edge of town, panting lightly and checking around the open space ahead of them. There were a couple walkers a long way down the pier, and they weren't looking in their direction.

Kenny's eyes scanned across the water's edge, trying to find that dead tree that marked where Ben was hiding. He spotted the familiar leafless branches and pointed at it, showing Erica where they were to go.

They hurried across the open grass, towards the tree, and the cement barriers just beyond it.

Kenny's heart felt stuck in his throat as he reached the barriers, hopping over them instead of going through the open gate, which was farther down the pier. As soon as he landed his feet onto the other side, he crouched low, feeling heat emanating off of his skin and through his ragged clothes. Erica landed softly next to him, a quiet thud the only noise made.

Kenny didn't turn to her. He barely acknowledged her, nor the water lapping at his shoes, nor the way the sun began to heat him to the point of pain in this shelter unprotected from the weather. He simply stared at the limp, splayed out body with its head resting against the barrier, completely unmoving and only a few meters away from him, looking as good as dead.

Ben.

TBC


End file.
